El Malick Ndiaye has resigned as speaker of Senegal’s National Assembly, stepping down just two days after President Bassirou Diomaye Faye abruptly fired Prime Minister Ousmane Sonko in a move that has plunged the country’s young government into crisis. The departure of Ndiaye, a close Sonko ally, clears the way for the ousted premier to seek the powerful post of parliament speaker and sets up an institutional confrontation with the president less than two months after the two men swept to power on a joint reform platform.
A surprise resignation in the middle of a power struggle
Ndiaye announced his resignation on Sunday in a statement posted to social media and carried by local media outlets, saying he was stepping down as president of the National Assembly after “deep personal reflection.” “My dear compatriots, after deep reflection, I have decided to resign from my duties as president of the National Assembly,” he wrote, calling it “a personal decision guided by my conception of institutions, public duty and the higher interest of the nation.”
He did not directly criticise President Faye or mention Sonko by name, but the timing left little doubt about the political backdrop. On Friday, Faye dismissed Sonko as prime minister and dissolved the government after months of mounting tensions within their Pastef‑led camp, a rupture that stunned supporters who had backed the pair as symbols of a new reformist generation.
Al Jazeera reported that Ndiaye’s move “opens the door for the ousted premier, Ousmane Sonko, to run for the role of head of parliament, where Pastef maintains a significant majority,” potentially giving Sonko a powerful new institutional platform. Analysts say that prospect may further complicate Faye’s efforts to govern and pursue reforms in an economy already strained by debt and complex negotiations with the International Monetary Fund.
How the Faye–Sonko alliance broke down
The resignations and dismissals cap the spectacular breakdown of one of West Africa’s most closely watched political alliances. Bassirou Diomaye Faye and Ousmane Sonko were long‑time allies in the Pastef movement, with Sonko seen as the more charismatic figure and Faye as his ideologue‑technocrat lieutenant.
After courts barred Sonko from running in the 2024 presidential election because of a defamation conviction, he backed Faye, who went on to win the presidency in March on a promise of anti‑corruption reforms, sovereignty in economic policy and a break with the old ruling elite. Once in office, Faye appointed Sonko as prime minister and Ndiaye, another Pastef stalwart, as president of the National Assembly, consolidating the movement’s control over the executive and legislature.
But rifts soon emerged over policy and power. The BBC reports that the relationship soured amid disagreements over how to handle Senegal’s mounting public debt and the pace of economic reforms, as Sonko also bristled at constraints on his role. At a stormy parliamentary session on Tuesday, Sonko publicly criticized Faye’s debt management and hinted at deeper strategic differences, according to both BBC and the Washington Post.
By Friday night, Faye had pulled the trigger. In a late‑evening televised address read by his secretary‑general, the president announced that he had “terminated the responsibilities” of Sonko and dissolved the cabinet, saying he would appoint a new prime minister and government.
Ndiaye: Sonko loyalist and institutional figure
El Malick Ndiaye, 43, has been one of Sonko’s most prominent lieutenants inside Pastef. According to his biography, he joined the party in 2015 and served as minister of infrastructure and land and air transport in Sonko’s government after the 2024 presidential victory. He was later elected president of the National Assembly on 2 December 2024, after Pastef and its allies secured a sweeping majority in snap legislative elections.
His elevation to speaker made him a key institutional figure in the new order and a bridge between the executive and legislature. Yet his political identity has remained closely tied to Sonko. Senegalese broadcasters have often described him as a “Sonko loyalist,” and local commentary around his resignation portrayed the move as an act of solidarity that also respects the formal separation of powers.
In his departure statement, Ndiaye stressed his “strong attachment to the separation of powers” and said his resignation was meant to “preserve the dignity of the National Assembly and the serenity of our institutions at a critical moment.” Some analysts saw that as a veiled critique of the president’s move to sack Sonko and dissolve the government without prior consultation with parliament.
What Ndiaye’s exit means for Sonko
Ndiaye’s decision has immediate political consequences. With the speaker’s chair vacant, Pastef’s parliamentary majority can move to elect a successor, and both allies and critics expect Ousmane Sonko to seek the role.
Al Jazeera notes that “the move by speaker El Malick Ndiaye clears the way for the sacked premier to run for head of parliament,” potentially giving Sonko a powerful institutional base from which to challenge or constrain President Faye. A post from News Central TV framed it as a “strategic resignation” that might allow Sonko to “retain significant political clout despite his dismissal as prime minister.”
Sonko himself has reacted defiantly since his firing. In a Facebook post widely shared by Senegalese media, he wrote: “Alhamdoulillah. Tonight, I will sleep light‑hearted in the city of Keur Gorgui,” a Dakar neighborhood, signaling he did not view his dismissal as a defeat. Supporters interpret the message as a sign he intends to remain at the center of politics, whether inside or outside government.
If elected speaker, Sonko would control the parliamentary agenda, wield influence over legislation and government oversight, and stand second in line in the order of state protocol, all while remaining outside Faye’s cabinet. That configuration could institutionalize the split at the heart of the ruling camp, with a president and a powerful assembly head pursuing competing visions.
Risks for Senegal’s stability and reform agenda
The rupture has raised concerns at home and abroad about political stability in Senegal, long seen as one of West Africa’s more robust democracies. The Washington Post notes that clashes between security forces and Sonko supporters in recent years left at least 16 people dead, underscoring how quickly tensions around the opposition leader can translate into street unrest.
Faye’s decision to fire Sonko “threatens to exacerbate instability in a nation already facing a debt crisis and drawn‑out talks with the International Monetary Fund,” Al Jazeera reports, citing concerns that political uncertainty could complicate economic negotiations and investor confidence. Dakar residents interviewed by broadcasters expressed mixed feelings: some praised the president for asserting authority, while others worried that sidelining Sonko would betray the spirit of their joint campaign and reignite protests.
The internal crisis also risks slowing or derailing the reform agenda that brought Faye and Sonko to power: revisiting natural‑resource contracts, rethinking the CFA franc currency arrangements and strengthening anti‑corruption measures. Without a cohesive executive and legislative leadership, pushing through controversial economic and institutional changes could prove far more difficult.
A test for Senegal’s institutions
In the immediate term, Senegal’s institutions face a stress test. The constitution provides for the election of a new National Assembly president by lawmakers, and Pastef’s majority suggests the choice will remain within the movement’s ranks. Whether that process becomes a rallying point for Sonko’s supporters or an opportunity for compromise will signal how deep the rift runs.
In addition, President Faye must choose a new prime minister and cabinet while weighing the necessity to demonstrate decisiveness against the danger of further alienating Sonko’s supporters. International partners, like as financial institutions and regional organizations, will be keeping a close eye out for indications that Senegal’s political elite can resolve internal conflicts without jeopardizing democratic values and the rule of law.
For Ndiaye, the resignation marks a pivot from one of the highest offices in the state to an uncertain political future. For Senegal, it adds a new layer of complexity to a power struggle at the heart of its new leadership, one that will shape the country’s trajectory well beyond this week’s headlines.